TresSugar

Do You Know Women in Power Positions?

LibertySugar — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:01:00 -0700

While the US has yet to see a female president, there have been female leaders in countries across the world as long as sources date back. Currently, there are reigning queens in three countries, six female presidents and seven female prime ministers. Can you recognize them? Take my quiz and find out!

Question 1 of 10

Guess which ruler succeeded her father and is married to a French diplomat named Henri de Laborde de Monpezat? Hint: She has two sons and has reigned since 1972.

Tizipi Livini: Israel's Would-Be Woman PM, Ex-Terrorist Hunter

LibertySugar — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 03:00:12 -0700

Israel's Foreign Minister Tizipi Livini, 49, is on track to be the country's prime minster, according to polls that have her ahead by 20 points in the race to lead the Kadima party. Today, 70,000 party members will vote.

Current Prime Minster Ehud Olmert has promised to resign, after the election, thanks to accusations that he accepted American businessmen-bribes. When he does, the new Kadima leader (probably Livini) will then form a government and become Prime Minister. There are a few other options though for Israel's transfer of power. If the new party leader failed to form a coalition government, Olmert would stay as interim PM, and national elections would be held months later. If he ditched the position all together, Livini, already next in line as first deputy, would become premier regardless of whether she wins today.

So who is this would-be leader? To find out, read more.

During the 1980s she orchestrated missions to kill Palestinian terrorists in Europe, while she worked as an Israeli spy. She joined Israeli intelligence after time in the army, and a year of law school, which she went on to complete after her spy-time. Livini also has a husband and two kids.

Do you think she's the right woman at the right time for Israel and the rest of the world?

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Progress? India Poised to Elect "Untouchable" Prime Minister?

CitizenSugar — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 09:00:02 -0700

While India reels from a new spate of bombings over the weekend, terrorist attacks like these have become more prevalent in recent years, unsettling the country. Officials say the attacks are attempts to incite violence between Hindus and Muslims, which so far have failed. Who could be the perfect person to unite and lead a country in unsettled times? Perhaps an icon of uniting within division itself - Dalit leader Mayawati Kumari.

Usually answering just to Mayawati, this icon of the Dalit or "untouchable" caste has emerged as a political force. Leading the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which represents the most people (160 million) with the fewest seats in parliament (17), Mayawati is broadening her political appeal to include upper-caste Hindus and Muslims, creating a masterful and uniting coalition within India's fractious society.

To see where she came from, read more.

Born into the lowest caste, Mayawati studied law and was a teacher before entering politics and becoming the youngest person to become chief minister in India's most populous state. The Dalits see her as a symbol of dignity within oppression, with an inclusive stance - her newest slogan invites everyone, upper and lower castes, together to "come ride the elephant."

I'm on board - and I'm adding her to my list of people I'm watching: T. Boone Pickens meet Mayawati.

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Take Me to Your Leader: Canada

LibertySugar — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 13:00:00 -0700

Stephen Harper, 48, leads Canada as its prime minister and head of the Conservative Party he co-founded in 2003. His election marked the end of 12 years Liberal Party rule.

Recently newsworthy for its involvement in "NAFTA-gate," Harper's administration was accused of leaking a memo that summarized private statements by an Obama adviser that the Senator's private position on NAFTA differed from his public position. Harper has denounced such meddling in the US election as unfair and most likely illegal.

Born in Toronto, Harper is the the first Canadian Prime Minister since 1968 not to attend law school. Known for policy over pizazz, Harper quickly accomplished campaign promises after being elected to run the minority government. A supporter of the unpopular Canadian effort in Afghanistan, Harper appointed a nonpartisan committee to evaluate the mission. Canada's slow growth is perhaps the greatest challenge facing the prime minister. Hopefully his bachelor and master degrees in economics will prove useful.

The opposition has been aching to push the Conservatives out of power, and recent Conservative Party scandals may give them their opportunity. Recently opposition leader Jack Layton called Prime Minister Harper a tool of the US Republican Party . . . to his face . . . on the floor of Parliament. Parliamentary democracies are great, eh? To see video read more.

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Take Me to Your Leader: Britain

LibertySugar — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 09:00:50 -0800

June 27, 2007, Gordon Brown, 56, finally became the Prime Minister of Britain, after serving over a decade as Tony Blair's heir apparent. As lore would have it, in 1994 the two Labour Party friends made a pact - Tony Blair would run for Prime Minister, and eventually pass the torch to the awkward and dour Brown.

Brown became Prime Minister when the unpopular Blair stepped down, and immediately confronted a series of crises, including a thwarted terrorist attack, and flooding across England. But, the unfortunate events did not stop there. Brown came under fire for scandals including the loss of a computer disk holding bank account details of 25 million people, the almost collapse of a major mortgage lender, and sketchy Labour Party financing. In an attempt to deflect such negative attention before a general election next year, Brown recently put the spotlight on eight young Cabinet ministers as a way to prove the Labour Party is the party of radical change.

For more information on Brown's road to power, read more.

Under Blair, Brown served as the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and presided over unprecedented growth while diminishing the Labour Party's reputation as a tax-and-spend party. Born and raised in Scotland, Brown credits his parents as "my inspiration, and the reason I am in politics." His father was a minister of the Church of Scotland.

Young Gordon started university at the young age of 16. Although he was extremely successful academically, his university career was dogged with medical complications. A rugby injury from high school, cost him his sight in one eye, and left him with only 30 percent vision in the other. Brown worked as a university instructor and wrote a number of books, including "The Real Divide," a study of poverty and inequality. He entered parliament in 1983, sharing an office with Tony Blair.
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Take Me to Your Leader: Venezuela

LibertySugar — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 00:02:28 -0800

Hugo Chavez, 53, is the president of Venezuela. A while back, he addressed the UN General Assembly the day after George W. Bush declaring that the room stank of sulphur because "the devil" had been there. I wasn't quite sure if he was joking or serious, but it looks like Chavez is serious about his anti-American sentiment.

Chavez's irreverent and revolutionary positions have made him internationally controversial. Recently, he made the news for a failed referendum, his first major electoral defeat. The president hoped to centralize his power and remove term limits. Voters rejected the proposal by a slim margin.

Chavez, a former soldier, came to power in 1998 on the backs of soaring oil revenues and class unrest. As president he has nationalized major companies, asserted government control over oil projects, withdrawn from the International Monetary Fund and represented anti-American attitudes in Latin America. He has also cracked down on the freedom of the press often dominating television with his long-winded national addresses.

Still Interested? For additional info, read more

The New York Times Topic Page

Time Magazine Profile

Hugo Chavez vs. America

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Take Me to Your Leader: Liberia

LibertySugar — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 15:12:56 -0800

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, 69, became Africa's first female elected head of state when Liberians elected her as their president in 2005. A Harvard-educated economist, Johnson-Sirleaf came to power, bolstered by her loyal supporters who carried "Ellen! She's Our Man!" posters during the close elections.

Johnson-Sirleaf's criticism of Liberia's former military regime led to her imprisonment twice in the 1980s. She fled Liberia two times, gaining international-finance experience while in exile. To find out about this amazing woman, read more.

Among her supporters, Johnson-Sirleaf finds educated Liberians as well as members of the old elite descended from freed American slaves who founded Liberia - "land of the free." According to Johnson-Sirleaf, she pursued the presidency "to bring motherly sensitivity and emotion to the presidency"

Laura Bush had this to write about Johnson-Sirleaf in Time:

Johnson-Sirleaf's courage and commitment to her country are an inspiration to me and women around the world.

I agree with Laura. Johnson-Sirleaf is truly inspiring!

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Take Me to Your Leader: Germany

LibertySugar — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 12:08:02 -0800

Angela Merkel, 52, is the German Chancellor and first female leader of Germany. She ranked number one on the Forbes list of The World's Most Powerful Women 2007.

At the 2007 Group of Eight ( G8 ) summit, Angela kept her fellow world-leaders focused on the agenda of climate change and poverty. As rotating head of the European Union, she led the way in creating a new European treaty. At home in Germany she enjoys approval ratings as high as 75 percent, and presides over declining unemployment and healthy economic growth.

Before the fall of the Berlin Wall and unification of Germany, Angela lived in East Germany working as a scientist. While living in communist East Germany, Angela never participated in public life. Yet, shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, she joined the Christian Democratic Union of East Germany (a political party). By 2000 she had been elected chairperson of the CDU and in 2005 the German people elected Angela as their chancellor.

You might remember Angela from her infamously awkward encounter with George W. Bush in 2006. For a video clip to refresh your memory, read more!

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Ask Someone Dealing With Depression: Should I Be Mad at My Friend For Telling People I'm Depressed?

TresSugar — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 04:00:00 -0700

Conventional Wisdom is a different kind of advice column. Your questions will be answered by people from all walks of life rather than by advice experts. This week, someone who deals with depression gives advice to a woman who is mad at her friend for telling people in her circle that she is depressed. If you have a question, you can submit them here.

This week's question:

I shared my struggles with depression with my closest female friend and told her that I did not want anyone else to know about it. She decided that because I wasn't answering her calls she would call the wife of a leader in our church and ask her for my husband's cell phone number so she could call him, asking about me. My "best friend" told the woman that I was going through something serious and when the woman said, "At least she's not seeking outside help" my friend said, "Well, I don't know for sure if she is or isn't."

Why else would she call her and say those things unless her intentions were to let her know about my situation and to inform her I "might" be seeking outside help for my depression? I found out about this conversation from the leader's wife and she only admitted to it after she knew that I knew about it. She insists that she only had my good in mind.

The thing is, it was a really huge deal to me that these people not be in on it because I know that they would attack me for being depressed in the first place, and also if I sought help outside of the church. The last thing I needed at that time was some church discipline. I was really suffering! I am so mad at my best friend for saying anything; should I forgive her?

Signed,

Angry and Depressed

To hear what someone dealing with depression has to say, read more.

Dear Angry and Depressed,

There seem to be three related but separate issues here: one is your anger at your friend, the second is the question of how your church is handling this, and the third is how to actually manage your struggle with depression.

As someone who has been through a lot with both depression and anxiety, I empathize with your situation. Depression hurts. As for your friend, I think you need to assess who this friend is to you, and whether she reached out to others because she was simply worried and didn't know how to handle it. While the outcome might have been a problem, if she did it out of legitimate concern I think she may be a real friend who just handled things badly because she cares and was confused about what to do.

My major concern with what you have said is that your church community thinks there is something wrong with getting outside help. Admittedly, I am not religious and have never belonged to a church, but I strongly feel that a community of any kind that is truly concerned with one of their members' well-being will support them in what they need, and not be judgmental about what that support might be. I think it would be worth explaining to your friend that what she might have considered finding you support actually feels like discipline, and that she needs to be more sensitive to what you need.

Finally there is the question of your depression itself. I do not want to assume you are in a situation where professional help from a therapist or doctor would be appropriate, but severe depression is something you need to talk to a professional about. If you feel like you are not getting help from your friends, family, or church, you're taking care of yourself by asking for outside help. Doctors are legally required to respect your privacy, and you could ask if they would refer you to a therapist.

Far more people struggle with depression than we can imagine when we are sitting alone with our thoughts, and there is support out there for you. You may just have been going through a rough patch and not need anything further, but depression is too serious a condition not to explore your options. Don't be discouraged if it doesn't seem like you can't find the right person to help you right away, but there are also lots of great people out there who can help. As for your friend, tell her how her action made you feel, give her the benefit of the doubt, and seek some relief for your pain from professionals. Good luck!

Could You Do Your Partner's Job?

TresSugar — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:00:00 -0700

Despite the passing of the "lion of the Senate," the people of Massachusetts might soon have another Senator Kennedy at their service. Democratic leaders like Sen. Orrin Hatch and Sen. Chris Dodd think that Vicki Kennedy would be an appropriate replacement for her late husband Ted. Orrin said:

"She is a very brilliant lawyer. She's a very solid individual. She certainly made a difference in Ted's life, let me tell you. And I have nothing but respect for her."

It would be up to the voters ultimately to decide if Vicki has what it takes to serve them, but her legal training and experience witnessing her husband's career in the Senate might make her qualified to replace him temporarily.

Of course not everyone could just start doing their partner's job on the spot. An English teacher probably couldn't go to work as a computer engineer right away without some serious training. Could you do your partner's job if you had to? Feel free to apply the question to past relationships, too!